Canyoning

One pleasant morning in Huaraz, Susan, Val and I decided to wander over to some tour agencies—of which Huaraz has plenty—to get some information about a certain hiking trail. At the first agency we stuck to the topic at hand. In the second, we were coerced into putting our lives into the hands of random Peruvian males and repelling down waterfalls in a remote location outside of town. It started with a simple suggestion by the guide that we join their canyoning tour which was leaving shortly, an offer I immediately dismissed as ludicrous. However, Val’s interest was piqued and she pressed for more information. I recall little of what was divulged about the actual trip, but when the price dropped suddenly from S/.50 to S/.35 something snapped in my brain and I heard myself saying, “Why not? Sounds like a good idea. What else are we going to do?” This I blame on my Grandma Vern, known for mass purchases of canned tomato soup solely because, go figure, Jewel was having a sale.

An hour after signing up, we were on our way. No waivers were signed. Susan was given a helmet that could be knocked off of her head with a light flick. Of the three of us, only Val had been repelling before. Upon arrival, we discovered that another group was already there, just beginning their first decent. Consisting of four thirty-something males, the group preceding us was a sight to see. Basically they were all quite macho until they themselves had to descend. As the first guy went down, the rest yelled words of wisdom and advice, followed by affectionate nicknames like huevón (tool.) Not a single one of them followed the advice he yelled down at his peers.

As our turn approached I think we were all expecting a bit of instruction. That was ignorant. Before I knew it I was handed the ropes and awkwardly attempting to scramble down slick boulders. I was basically calm and unconcerned until a mere 30 seconds later when I reached the edge of a 20 foot sheer drop. Now, I’m not afraid of heights, but I was only 30 seconds in to my first attempt at repelling with no clear instruction on how to actually repel. At this point I was like “Whoa, you want me to do what? I don’t think I get it.” Finally, I just went down, trying to make it less painful as I went. I didn’t even really notice the freezing cold water soaking my body until I got done. I was pretty sure at that point that I never wanted to do it again.

Nonetheless, preceding Susan was well worth it. As Susan dislikes heights, I really don’t know why she agreed to go. She was pretty much wigging out by the time she had to go. It was a good while before she would even budge from her starting position. I was later told that she was in tears and I can vouch for the fact that plenty of obscenities slipped her mouth. A few collisions with the rocks later she made it down safely. Val followed calmly, looking like an expert.

Two cascades later, I was freezing. Literally freezing. But it did get easier and, by the end, it was even kind of fun.